Taiwan is a genuine global leader when it comes to promoting media literacy and civic tech solutions to the problem of disinformation
The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/19
By: David Green
Credit: Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Taiwan’s role as a target for disinformation and the strength of its civic tech movement are attracting global attention as the world seeks inspiration and leadership in the fight against online falsehoods.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day international workshop on Defending Democracy Through Media Literacy in Taipei on Thursday, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scott Busby praised Taiwan as an invaluable democratic model in an Indo-Pacific region beset by democratic backsliding and human rights abuses.
The workshop, hosted by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD) and the 13th event held under the U.S.-Taiwan Global Cooperation Training Framework, will see participants from 12 countries share opportunities to deepen international cooperation on promoting media literacy.
In his first trip here, Busby warned that disinformation threatens to undermine pluralism, stoke polarization and drown out of the marginalized while “distracting the public from the fundamental principles of good governance, an independent media, human rights, and democratic values.” [FULL STORY]